Today, there exist various solutions of automatically providing individual additional items to containers and then applying lids to these containers.
In a known solution of automatically providing individual additional items to containers and then applying lids to these containers, the individual additional item is first placed within a container by dropping it into the container at a first manufacturing process step and thereafter the lid is applied to the container at a second manufacturing step, wherein each container is supplied to and from the first and second manufacturing step by means of a conveyor, e.g. a conveyor belt or conveyor chain. An important issue in this context is the production rate, i.e. the number of containers per a time period that can be supplied with both the individual additional item and the lid. To be commercially successful, the apparatus used for applying the individual additional item and the lid must allow for a high production rate. A problem when trying to increase the production rate when using this known solution is that due to the relatively high supply speed of the containers, the individual additional item may miss the opening of the container when it is dropped, which may cause the additional item to rest across the edges of the container or to end up outside of the container before the lid is applied the container. This in turn will result in no individual additional item within the sealed container or a damaged individual additional item and possibly a damaged lid and/or a damaged container.
In another known method for applying an additional item, e.g. a spoon, to a container, the spoon is glued to the lid of the container before the lid is attached to the container. In this method, the spoon is glued to the lid in a separate production stage by using hot melt glue. The use of hot melt glue requires a separate production since the glue must cool off some before the lid can be applied to the container. When the container is provided with a separate, inner lid, usually a thin foil that conceals the inner of the container in an air tight way, it is also possible to glue the spoon to the inner lid. The glue could however loosen from the foil when the container is opened and could thus fall into the container and contaminate the product in the container.
It would also be possible to attach the additional item to the lid when the lid is produced, and to apply the lid with the additional item in the same stage, when the lid is applied. The stacking of the lids will however be difficult, especially when the additional item is e.g. a scoop that extends out from the underside of the lid.
JP11314618 discloses a device in which an indication description and a spoon are placed on an internal lid of a can. The device comprises a spoon suction part and an indication-description suction part. In this way, the description can be bent by the spoon, and the spoon and the description are integrated and placed on an internal lid, which allows for a more efficient device.
EP0358617 discloses a method and apparatus for applying glue on separate lids and attaching said lids to containers. The lid is collected in a first stage, glue is applied to the edge of the lid by rotating the lid in a second stage and the lid is applied to the container opening in a final mounting stage.
These solutions may work fine in some systems. There is however still room for an improved apparatus and method for applying lids to containers.